Start Date: 2010-02-25 08:30:00

2010 Conference: Affirming Life – Suicide Prevention and Intervention among People of Color
Marlowe Hotel Cambridge, Massachusetts
Thursday, February 25, 2010 8:30 AM - Saturday, February 27, 2010 5:00 PM

Since the rates of suicide among African Americans and other people of color have increased throughout the years, there are sources of preventable measures that need to be identified. If there are hundreds of thousands of suicide attempts that occur among people of color each year and each attempt is associated with its own risk factors, what is being done to decrease the numbers? What measures take place that are specifically drawn to people of color? The burden of suicide and suicide attempts is amplified when one considers those close to the victims who are devastated and sometimes traumatized. In 2006, 1,954 African Americans completed suicide in the United States. Of these, 1,669 (85%) were males. The rates of suicide among African American males have been slightly increasing since 2003. Homicide and suicidal behavior including attempts and gang violent behavior is consistently increasing according to the Centers for Disease Control. Because of these increases it is necessary to continue to educate our communities on the roots of this epidemic in an effort to decrease completions, attempts and suicidal behavior. 

The learning objectives for this conference will be as follows:
To conduct trainings on how to recognize the signs when someone is in a suicidal crisis

To associate religious institutions as a first responder and teach techniques needed by the church on how to manage a suicidal crisis and at what point should an individual be referred out.

Learning about the basics of suicide that includes evidenced base practices, and models for collaborating preventing efforts in communities of color.

Summarizing mental health in the criminal justice system and what are the best practices in managing mental health among those in the system.

Listening to personal stories from those who have lost someone to suicide or experienced a suicidal crisis for a better understanding of this epidemic.

Identifying the problems surrounding suicide and bullying (bullicide).

Identify behavior that can be viewed as suicidal gestures and the prevention techniques to be applied to this type behavior. And with emphasis on how we can change these broadly defined behaviors that can lead to dying among our youth in communities of color as well as adults especially those returning from war.